Betrayed By My Fiancée

Chapter 26: Between Two Truths

The car ride was quiet in a way that didn’t feel awkward. Just… steady. The city lights kept sliding past the window, soft streaks of gold and white that I couldn’t really focus on.

I leaned my head against the glass anyway, letting the vibration of the car do something to keep me grounded.

Mike didn’t rush the silence. He just drove. Calm hands on the wheel, like nothing in the world was demanding more from him than the road in front of us. I kept thinking about the café, about Leondra sitting there like she owned the air in the room.

I hated how normal she looked in my day. Like she belonged in every space I tried to breathe in.

Mike’s voice broke through eventually, low and even. “You didn’t seem surprised to see her.”

I didn’t turn my head right away. My eyes stayed on the streetlights ahead. “I was,” I said. Then I added, quieter, “Just not unprepared.”

He glanced at me for a second before looking back at the road. I could feel it though. That look people give when they already know there’s more under your words. “That sounds like you expected something,” he said.

I let out a slow breath, my fingers brushing the edge of my sleeve. “I’ve learned to,” I answered. Not dramatic. Just… honest.

The silence changed after that. Same car, same road, but it felt like something had shifted between us.

Like the conversation had opened a door I didn’t fully want open but also didn’t know how to close.

I shifted in my seat, my eyes dropping for a second before I spoke again. “You notice a lot,” I said, more to myself than him.

“I pay attention,” he replied.

Simple. No explanation needed.

I nodded slightly. “That can’t be easy,” I murmured.

“It isn’t supposed to be,” he said.

That made me stop for a second.

I didn’t have a reply for that, so I just stayed quiet and let the road take over again.

For a while, I thought maybe I could stay like that. Just… quiet. Not thinking too hard.

Then he spoke again.

“You let things sit,” Mike said.

I turned my head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t react,” he said. “Even when you should.”

My throat tightened a little, not enough to show, but enough for me to feel it. I looked at him for a second, then away again. “And reacting would fix it?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “But ignoring it doesn’t either.”

That one landed deeper than I wanted it to.

My fingers curled into my palm without me noticing. I didn’t argue. I didn’t defend myself. I just… sat with it. Because part of me already knew he wasn’t wrong.

Then my phone buzzed.

That small sound felt way too loud in the car.

I already knew before I even looked.

Dante.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a second too long. I thought about not answering. I really did. But my hand moved anyway.

“Hello?” I said.

His voice came after a pause. “Jade.”

It sounded like he was far away. Not physically. Just… from me.

“We need to talk,” he said.

I looked out the window instead of the screen. My voice stayed calm, almost too calm. “About what?”

“About us.”

My stomach tightened slightly, but I didn’t let it show in my voice. “There’s nothing to figure out if you’ve already made your decision.”

Silence.

“I didn’t want it to happen like that,” he said.

I let out a small breath through my nose, slow and controlled. “But it did.”

He didn’t answer immediately. I could almost hear him trying to find the right version of himself in that pause.

“I’ll come by tomorrow,” he said finally.

I hesitated for half a second.

“Okay,” I said.

And I ended the call.

The phone went back into my bag, my fingers lingering there a little longer than needed before I let go. I didn’t look at Mike right away. I didn’t need to. I could feel that he’d heard enough anyway.

“I’m guessing that’s not a conversation you’re looking forward to,” he said.

I shook my head slightly. “It’s a conversation I don’t need,” I replied.

He looked at me briefly.

I didn’t miss it this time—the way his expression changed just a little, like he was reading something I wasn’t saying out loud. “Then why have it?” he asked.

I didn’t answer immediately.

My hand drifted into my pocket without thinking. The ring was still there. I felt it before I even pulled it out. Cold metal. Familiar. Heavy in a way that didn’t match its size.

“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly.

We pulled up outside my building not long after that. The car slowed, then stopped with a soft idle. Neither of us moved right away. It felt like the silence had weight again, but different from before. Less heavy. More… settled.

I reached for my bag and stepped out.

The night air hit me properly this time. Cooler than the car. Real.

“Thanks Again Mike, For Everything” I said, turning back toward him.

He nodded once. “Make sure she drinks water,” he said, referring to Clara.

A small breath left me, almost a laugh but not quite. “I will,” I said.

He didn’t wait for anything else. Just like that, he drove off.

I stood there for a second, watching the car disappear into the street. Then I turned toward the building.

My hand slipped into my pocket again.

The ring was still there.

But I didn’t take it out.